842 
BULLETIN OF THE BUREAU OF FISHERIES 
A spawning movement of striped bass was definitely noted in May 1932, at the 
entrance to the Susquehanna River where captures of ripe fish indicated a nocturnal 
spawning migration up the river from Chesapeake Bay. 
On the upper Roanoke River, at Weldon, N. C., a pronounced spawi ing move- 
ment occurs during the latter part of April and throughout May. This movement 
provides an opportunity for fishermen to enjoy the sport of capturing the spawning 
fisii with large skim nets. This fishing operation is carried on during the early evening 
in and just below the rapids. 
In tbe region of San Francisco Bay the spawning migration is made up of fish that 
come from the deeper holes in the lower rivers and bays, and from the ocean, to run 
up the Sacramento and San Joaquin Rivers and some of the smaller tributaries. 
It was thought by Scofield (1931) that a spawning movement of fish also occurred 
Figure 22.— Length-frequency distribution of striped bass marked for migration studies in Chesapeake Bay. Solid line indicates 
number of fish marked and released; dotted line indicates number of fish recaptured. 
from the coast of southern California back to common spawning grounds in the 
San Francisco Bay area. 
An early suggestion of a spawning migration of striped bass involving a parent- 
stream theory, and the feasibility of stocking depleted streams with fish, was advanced 
by Belknap in 1792. This historian wrote: 
It is said by some, that fish which are spawned in rivers, and descend to the sea, return to those 
rivers, only where they are spawned. If this principle be true, the breed might be renewed by bring- 
ing some of the bass, which are caught in the Merrimac River, alive, over the land, to the nearest 
part of the waters of the Piscataqua, a distance of not more than 12 miles. This must be done 
before the spawning season, and might easily be accomplished. 
The first attempt to determine the migrations of the striped bass through marking 
experiments was made by the author in July and August 1931, in upper Chesapeake 
Bay (Pearson, 1933 a). A total of 305 fish, ranging in length from 26-40 cm (10.2-15.7 
in.) were caught, marked, and released. Most fish were in their third summer (2 years 
of age) and were immature so far as could be determined. The fish were taken on 
hook and line and were released immediately at or near the place of capture, about 1 
mile east of Hacketts Point, off Annapolis, Md. (See fig. 22.) 
The tags were the modified Nesbit disk consisting of two 12-mm (one-half inch) 
circular celluloid disks connected by a length of nickel wire. The wire, sharpened 
at one end and headed at the other, was run through one disk and then through the 
back of the fish slightly below the second dorsal fin and another disk was placed against 
